November 19, 2005

Sox Will Walk On The Wilder Side

Lucchino mentioned Wilder's diverse baseball experiences and an encouraging track record in player development. Since his minor league playing career ended in 1989, Wilder has worked for the A's, Atlanta, Cubs, Brewers, and White Sox. Michael Hill, the Marlins' assistant GM, is also expected to be interviewed.

Bob Klapisch quotes a friend of Johnny Damon's: "Six months ago, there's no way Johnny would've even considered the Yankees. He's thinking about it now."

4 comments:

Jack Marshall
said...

Johnny goes to NY, cuts his hair, and becomes just another Yankee centerfielder who can't throw. I know Damon's no brain-surgeon, but he can't be that much of an idiot. In Bean Town he's a rock star,and almost anywhere else he's yesterday's news. It is worth millions in publicity and endorsements, not mention quality of life, for Johnny to stay, and let's hope someone reminds him...like, oh, Mo Vaughn, Bruce Hurst, Fred Lynn, Rick Burleson...and Nomar, of course.

I hope the Sox don't offer him more than three years. Even a fourth year seems like overpaying, not matter what the money is.

As someone at SoSH said, if you are going to overpay, make sure it's someone with potential, not someone (like Johnny) who is moving into his mid-30s and will either stay the same or (more likely) decline.

If the Sox are operating per Henry's rules -- make your best offer first, say "this is what we'll pay" and skip the back and forth -- then their 3/27 offer is fine.

Redsock: I agree, and I especially hope that the team doesn't overpay to keep Damon because it's afraid of the PR backlash in the wake of the "Without Theo All Is Lost" panic 0f 2005. Johnny is a good bet to be Darren Bragg in two more years...four years is insane.